Poached Eggs

 

I love poached eggs, but surprisingly few people make them. I hate those little poached egg devices that you can buy: they produce a rubbery result, completely different from a real poached egg, with its lovely, lacy white, surrounding a perfectly set yolk. So if you feel that you have no room for your egg poacher, take heart: there is a better alternative.

There are two requirements for flawless poached eggs: (1) plenty of salt in the water (or a tbsp of lemon or vinegar, if you prefer, although they flavour the egg quite strongly), which guarantees the white setting; (2) the water must be at a full, rolling boil before the egg is lowered into the pan. For this reason, eggs should be at ‘room temperature’, ie about 18°C (70°F). In very cold places, you may have to cook the eggs no more than two at a time., otherwise it will take too long to get back to the boil.  You can use seawater, as long as it's very clean.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 cups seawater 

4 eggs

4 slices of bread, toasted

Method:

• If the seawater isn’t very clean, use fresh water and a tsp salt. Put the water into a saucepan, large enough to hold all four eggs, and bring it to a rolling boil. 
• When the water is rapidly boiling, carefully break an egg into it, at one side of the pan. (If you are worried about breaking the yolks, break the egg onto a small plate first, and then slide it in off the plate  With fresh eggs you shouldn't need to worry.) 
• When the water comes back to a vigorous boil, add another egg. Continue in this way until all the eggs are in the pan. 
• Reduce the heat and cover. 
• Set the timer for three minutes, for a soft yolk: I like my yolks hard so cook them for more like 5 minutes.  Of course, it depends on the size of the eggs. As the water boils over the egg, the yolk gets covered with a white film. If you press it very gently with a wooden utensil, you can tell if it is still soft.
• When the timer pings, remove the eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon, in the same order as they went in. 
• Serve immediately, generously seasoned with black pepper, on hot, buttered toast. 

Note:

• If you find that everything froths up too much, turn the heat down again and/or move the lid sideways, so that the pan is only partially covered.  Ideally, the water is gently moving rather than boiling vigorously.
• Until you are used to poaching eggs, I suggest making the toast first and keeping it on a warmed plate.  Neither poaching eggs nor toasting bread are good candidates for multi-tasking.

Variations:

• Instead of butter, spread the toast with Dijon mustard.
• Sprinkle the eggs with a mild ground chilli powder, such as Kashmiri.
• If you like the heat, spread the toast with chilli paste.
• For Eggs Florentine, cook and drain spinach, season with pepper and serve topped with a poached egg. 

 

Ediited 28/5/25